A Discussion of the Origins of King Arthur's Sword By David Nash Ford EXCALIBUR The Tradition: The Name "Excalibur" was first used for King Arthur 's sword by the French Romancers. It was not the famous "Sword in the Stone" (which broke in battle), but a second sword acquired by the King through the intercession of his druidic advisor, Merddyn ( Merlin ). Worried that Arthur would fall in battle, Merlin took the King to a magical lake where a mysterious hand thrust itself up from the water, holding aloft a magnificent sword. It was the Lady of the Lake offering Arthur a magic unbreakable blade, fashioned by an Avalonian elf smith, along with a scabbard which would protect him as long as he wore it. Towards the end of his reign, during the troubled times of Medrod's rebellion, Excalibur was stolen by Arthur's wicked half-sister, Morgan le Fay . Though it was recovered, the scabbard was lost forever. Thus Arthur was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camlann. The King then instructed Bedwyr (or Girflet) to return Excalibur to the lake from whence it came.

However, when questioned about the circumstances of its return, Bedwyr claimed to have seen nothing unusual. Arthur therefore knew that Bedwyr had kept Excalibur for himself and sent him back to the Lake once more. Hurling the sword into the misty waters this time, Bedwyr saw the mystic hand appear to catch Excalibur and draw it beneath the rippling waters for the last time. The Name: The earliest Arthurian stories give the name of King Arthur's sword as Caladfwlch, a Welsh word derived from Calad-Bolg meaning "Hard Lightning". Later it developed to become the Caliburn of Geoffrey and Monmouth and finally the Frenchified Excalibur that we know today. Ancient Origins: Legendary figures throughout the World are associated with magical swords, often the symbol of their Kingship. It is interesting to note that Curtana, a 17th century successor of the original sword of Ogier the Dane, is still used at the British Coronation to this day. King Arthur's tale has particular similarities to the Norse Legend of Sigurd, but even closer parallels can be drawn with the Irish hero, Cú Chulainn who also bore a sword named Caladbolg.

Such swords were usually said to have been forged by an elfan smith. In Saxon mythology his name is Wayland, but to the Celts he was Gofannon. He is also to be identified with the Roman Vulcan and Greek Hephaestus who made magical weapons for the Muses to give to Perseus, and for Thetis to give to Achilles. The later surrender of the sword is well known as a universal symbol of defeat. Here it is emblematic of death itself. The deposition of swords, weaponry and other valuables in sacred lakes and rivers was a popular practice amongst the Celtic peoples. Strabo records such rituals near Toulouse and notes that other sacred lakes existed throughout Europe. Gregory of Tours alludes to a three-day festival of deposition at Lake Gévaudan in the Cevennes. Some scholars believe that such rituals were part of Celtic funerary rites. Archaeolgical finds of exotic metalwork deposits at Llyn Fawr in Morgannwg include axes and sickles of around 600 bc. Further weaponry was discovered Llyn Cerrig Bach on Ynys Mon (Anglesey) dating from the 2nd century bc to the 1st century AD.

Celtic Iron-Age deposits in rivers are too numerous to count. Especially well known are the superb Battersea Shield and Waterloo Helmet from the Thames. This major British River appears to have been particularly popular for swords like Arthur's. Britannia.com (T) 302.234.8904 (F) 302.234.9154 Copyright ©2000 Britannia.com, LLC Excalibur Arthur's sword, symbol of divine kingship, is as much a character in the legend as any human or supernatural being. Excalibur is a symbol of the responsibility of power. In Tennyson's Idylls of the King, one side of Arthur's sword is engraved " in the oldest tongue of all this world,/ 'Take me, but turn the blade and ye shall see,/And written in the speech ye speak yourself,/'Cast me away!'" Tennyson describes Arthur's face as sad as he receives the sword, though Merlin counsels, "'Take thou and strike! the time to cast away/Is yet far-off.'" From the very words etched on the sword, we immediately see the cyclical nature of kingship.

"Take me" becomes a call-to-arms for Arthur. By grasping the sword, Arthur accepts responsibility that leadership entails, his sadness an acknowledgement that his power will inevitably wane. According to legend, Arthur also possessed a lance, Ron, and a shield, Pridwen, on the back of which was painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary. The origins of the sword date back to Celtic mythology, but are found in British, Welsh, and Irish epics. The Welsh name for the sword was Caledvwlch. Irish stories call it Caladbolg, the fairy sword of the hero Cuchulain. In various British Arthur stories, Excalibur is often referred to as "Caliburn." Loomis comments the "ex-" or "es-" prefix that was later added was a "peculiar tendency" of the time period (424). There are two explanations of the way in which Arthur acquires Excalibur.

Contemporary story-tellers are fond of "the sword in the stone" narrative in which young Arthur pulls the magical sword from a rock and anvil bearing this inscription: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is likewise King of all England." This is, for example, the main dramatic action in Disney's Sword in the Stone. Arthur's ability to pull the sword from the stone proves his worthiness as King. A second version describes Arthur and Merlin riding to a lake. Here they "see an arm clothed in white samite, rising from the water and holding a sword. Presently a damsel rides rapidly toward them, and at Merlin's bidding dismounts and walks with dry feet over the water. She takes the sword, the arm vanishes,and the damsel brings the coveted weapon back to Arthur. " Here we see the commingling of Christian and pagan motifs, the Christ-like walking on water with the fairy quality of Excalibur and the mythic making of a King. This version of the story is spoofed in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) when the peasant Dennis, working on a Marxist commune, meets King Arthur.

His companion, a warty old woman, asks Arthur how he came to be king, and Arthur, looking skyward, says he received kingship through the supernatural sanction of "the Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in shining samite" who lifted Excalibur "aloft from the bosom of the lake" to bestow it upon him, this description setting up Dennis's rejoinder: "Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. You can't expect to wield supreme power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!" Excalibur Excalibur Excalibur: the Sword in the Stone? Two swords are presented in the Arthurian Legends: Excalibur (also called Caliburn) and the Sword in the Stone. Sometimes people think it's one and the same, but more and more it is believed that they are not. The Sword in the Stone The story of the Sword in the Stone is a story about Arthur's claim to the throne of Britain. According to legend, the Sword was Uther's sword, the sword of the High King of Britain.

After Uther's death there is no known heir and the barons are fighting among each other who is to be the next High King of Britain. Merlin, who was Uther counselor, has the sollution: he takes Uther's sword and with his magic, he runs it into a rock. The onw man who is able to draw the sword from the stone again will be the rightfull heir. Many have tried: Lot, Uriens, even Leodegrance and many more, but no one was able to draw the sword. Until one day Sir Ector and his sons Kay and Arthur (not knowing he is not Ector's real son but fostered by him) come to the place where the sword is captured in the rock, they come for a tournament. Arthur, being squirl to Ector and Kay, has to get Kay a new sword for his one is broken. He passes the rock and draws the sword, which he brings to Ector and Kay. Next, confusion is great, for how could this boy draw the sword from the stone. Then Merlin makes his entrance again and declares that Arthur is Uther's son. To proof that he places the sword back in the stone and dares anyone to draw it.

Again no one succeeds, but Arthur. And so he became High King of Britain at a very young age. Excalibur Excalibur is the sword Arthur receives from the Lady of the Lake. She sometimes is a mythical figure - an ancient Welsh goddess of water, and sometimes she's referred to as a highpriestess of Avalon. In both cases she a Lady with great power. Her giving the sword of magic (presumebly made by an elven smith) is her acceptance as Arthur as protector of Britain. The sword and scabbard are enchanted: the scabbard protects the owner from being mortily wounded and the sword is supposed to be unbreakable. Names for Excalibur The emythology of the name is some what confusing for it is also said that the Welsh name for Excalibur was Caladvwlch, equating linguistically with Irish Caladbolg, the name of a sword borne by heroes in Irish legend, derived from CALAD (hard) and BOLG (lightning). It goes with a story in which the sword is struck by lighting just as the (elven) smith takes it out of the water after its final heating.

Caladbolg is also known as the sword of the Welsh legend Cu Chullain (see 'Morrigan' and 'Celtic literature' in the celtic section). Caliburn is also supposed to be the old Welsh name for the sword, which was later transformed to 'Excalibur' by French poets like Chretien de Troyes. It is supposed to mean 'Cuts steal'. Two different names and different meanings to one and the same sword, or is it? King Arthur’s Sword Excalibur King Arthur’s Sword Excalibur The boy Arthur drew an unnamed sword out of an anvil. The adult king Arthur received Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. Illustrations by Howard Pyle (1853-1911). The sword in the stone was just a sword; Excalibur came with a scabbard. A recent Jeopardy quiz category was about King Arthur. Some of the clues began “According to some versions of the story…” But when it came to Arthur’s sword, the clue implied that Excalibur was the only answer for the question, “what was the name of the sword that Arthur pulled from the stone?” Sorry, Jeopardy writers.

That question should also have begun with “according to some versions of the legend…” Various tellings of the Arthurian legend exist, including Hollywood versions that have spread the notion that Excalibur was the sword in the stone. Compressing events is what movie makers must do in order to fit rambling stories drawn from literature into a film. Readers, however, have the option of reading source materials. The best known printed source for the Arthurian stories in English is Malory’s Le Morte Darthur. Although the title is French, Le Morte Darthur was written in English by an English knight, Sir Thomas Malory, and published in London by the printer William Caxton in 1485. In Maloryâ€™s version, the sword that the boy Arthur pulls from the stone is not Excalibur. Arthur doesn’t obtain Excalibur until later, after a fierce hand-to-hand combat in which he is severely wounded and his sword breaks into two pieces. After Arthur’s wounds are tended, Merlin leads him to a lake, where they see an arm “clothed in white samite” holding a sword above the water. Arthur learns that the sword belongs to the Lady of the Lake.

She says she will give it to him in exchange for a gift when she asks for one. Arthur promises that she shall have whatever she asks. He and Merlin then row to the center of the lake and Arthur takes the sword and its scabbard from the mysterious arm. Merlin tells Arthur that the scabbard is more valuable than the sword. Excalibur cannot be broken, but as long as Arthur wears the scabbard, he cannot bleed. Malory’s description of Arthur’s acquisition of Excalibur does not mention its name, but later, when the Lady of the Lake comes to claim her gift, Arthur asks her to remind him of the sword’s name: [Arthur] I have forgotten the name of my sword that you gave me. “The name of it,” said the lady, “is ‘Excalibur,’ that is as much to say as ‘Cut-Steel.’ As Arthur lay dying, he sent his last knight, Sir Bedivere, to return Excalibur to the lake. Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) for Tennyson’s Idylls of the King.

At the end of Arthur’s life, as he lies on a strip of land between the sea and a lake, dying of the wound inflicted by Mordred, the king commands his last companion, Sir Bedivere, to throw Excalibur into the lake. Reluctant to throw away such a marvelous sword, Bedivere hides it in the rushes and lies twice to Arthur, saying that he threw it into the water. The third time, Bedivere does as commanded and sees the arm clothed in white samite rise from the water, catch the sword, wave it three times, and sink once more beneath the surface. Until relatively recently, English-speaking children were exposed to beautifully illustrated children’s versions of Malory’s stories for their leisure time reading and studied Tennyson’s Idylls of the King in the classroom. Excalibur, magic sword of King Arthur Excalibur, the magic sword of King Arthur Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur is first mentioned in Geoffrey of Monmouth 's The History of the Kings of Britain. According to this account, King Arthur gets a sword called "Caliburn," which was made on the Isle of Avalon.

Later legends have the sword being returned to the Lady of the Lake on the mortal wounding of King Arthur at Camlann . Legend is vague as to the location of the Lake that features in the Excalibur story, but possible candidates for the Excalibur Lake are here. It was not until Robert de Boron wrote Merlin (c. 1200) that the author introduced the story of the young King Arthur drawing the sword Excalibur from a rock. Hence proving that Arthur was rightful king of Britain, the true heir of Uther Pendragon. The appear therefore that King Arthur had two swords. The sword drawn from the rock is different from the one given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. The lake sword and the rock sword. Excalibur is certainly the lake sword. There could be a translation problem giving rise to the sword being said to be drawn from the stone. The Latin word for stone is saxo; the Germanic invaders were Saxon. It is possible that the original story had King Arthur killing a Saxon leader and pulling his sword from the dead body, and that that in copying (everything was hand copied in those days), a scribe might have missed the last letter of Saxon.

In the legend of King Arthur, all things are possible. In the Post-Vulgate Merlin, Excalibur was taken from a hand rising from a lake. In this Post-Vulgate version, the blade of Excalibur could cut through everything and its sheath made the wearer invincible. Full references to more about Excalibur at the Rochester site on King Arthur and Excalibur. Excalibur (1981) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends.

Error Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the round table of Camelot even as forces conspire to tear it apart Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 21 titles created 19 Sep 2012 a list of 27 titles created 03 May 2013 a list of 27 titles created 22 Sep 2015 a list of 30 titles created 23 Dec 2015 a list of 40 titles created 3 weeks ago Search for " Excalibur " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations. See more awards » Videos A prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet. Director: Peter Yates Philipe Gastone, a thief, escapes from the dungeon at Aquila, sparking a manhunt. He is nearly captured when Captain Navarre befriends him.

Navarre has been hunted by the Bishop's men for ... See full summary » Director: Richard Donner A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom. Director: Matthew Robbins A reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an evil queen. Director: Ron Howard A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from both destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves. Director: Ridley Scott A sword-and-sorcery fantasy about a young man's search for revenge. Armed with supernatural powers, the handsome hero and his animal allies wage war against marauding forces. Director: Don Coscarelli A barbarian warrior sets off to avenge his parents and his tribe whom were slain by an evil sorcerer and his henchmen when he was a boy. Director: John Milius A soldier from Earth crash-lands on an alien world after sustaining battle damage. Eventually he encounters another survivor, but from the enemy species he was fighting; they band together ... See full summary » Director: Wolfgang Petersen Edit Storyline The myth of King Arthur brought once again to the screen. Uthur Pendragon is given the mystical sword Excalibur by the wizard Merlin.

At his death Uthur buries the sword into a stone, and the next man that can pull it out will be King of England. Years later Arthur, Uthur's bastard son draws Excalibur and becomes king. Guided by Merlin, Arthur marries Guenivere and gathers the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur's evil half-sister Morgana sires a son with him, who may prove his downfall. Written by Greg Bole <bole@life.bio.sunysb.edu> No mortal could possess it! No kingdom could command it! See more » Genres: 10 April 1981 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Katrine Boorman was widely felt to be miscast as Igrayne. See more » Goofs In the scene where Excalibur is returned to Arthur before the final battle, a camera, camera man, and sound man along with several lights and other crew can be clearly seen in Arthur's armor. See more » Quotes Uther : Where have you been? Merlin : I have walked my way since the beginning of time. Sometimes I give, sometimes I take, it is mine to know which and when! Uther : You must help me, Merlin!

Merlin : Must I? Uther : I am your King! Merlin : So! You need me again now that my truce is wrecked! Years to build and moments to ruin! And all for lust! Uther : For Igrayne! One night with her. You don't understand, you're not a man. Use the magic. Do it! Merlin : [considering] Igrayne... You will swear by your true Kingship... to grant me what I wish, then you shall ... [...] (warren michigan) – See all my reviews At different times in his illustrious career, John Boorman has announced that his intention to make film versions of both The Lord Of The Rings, and Wagners "Ring" cycle.Like Scorsese's plans to do film biographies of Gershwin and Robert Johnson, or Coppola's plans to make versions of Faust and Pinocchio, these grandiose projects have come to nothing. Fortunately, in Excalibur, we have something that comes close..VERY close. Boorman retells the Arthur legend in a way that evokes both the mythic power of Tolkien and the operatic splendor of Wagner..

( Indeed, the sound track makes frequent use of Wagner.)Some have criticized Boorman for making the story of King Arthur too sexy and violent. Well, in their original , unexpurgated form, the Arthurian legends were just that. Boorman also looks at the Druidic and pagan roots of the arthur story, (" The Land is the King."), and examines the inner conflict between Paganism and Christianity that gave the myth its original power. A great film, and one of my personal favorites. I have not seen Robert Bresson's version of the Arthur myth, Lancelot Du Lac, but I suspect that it may be the only other one by a major film-maker that comes close to the eerie, mythic, glorious heart of Arthurian legend. 101 of 125 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Legend of Excalibur Ill-fated Sword As Arthur prepared for a war against King Rion, Lady Lile of Avelion came into Arthur's court with a sword girded around her waist. It caused excitement in the hall, because no lady has a sword girded to her before.

She was distressed, because she could not undo the clasps of the swordbelt, nor draw the sword from the sheath (Sword of the Strange Clasps). The Lady told them that only a knight, who is pure of heart, could draw the sword, and thereby undoing the sword-belt. The knight must be the best; he must also be loyal and free of treachery. She also told them that anyone, who unsheathes the sword, must return the sword to her. Arthur was the first to try to unsheathe the sword, but the king could not so much as draw a hairsbreadth of the blade out of the scabbard, no matter how much force he exerted. The Lady informed Arthur that he not use so much force, because the true knight will able to draw the sword without effort. The king allowed all the other knights to try, but all had failed like their king. All except Balin le Savage , a poor and disinherited knight from Northumberland. Balin had not tried, because of his low rank in Arthur's court.

Only Balin was worthy of performing this task, when he released the Lady from the sword-belt, and drew the sword from the scabbard. Balin so admired the blade so much that he decided to keep this sword, despite Lady Lile's protests. The Lady warned that if he take the sword away from her, then he would kill someone he loved most in the world. Balin was unfazed by her interdiction, and told her that he would not give up the sword, even if it were to cause his own death. Then she gave him further warning that he would regret all this within two months from now, when he and another knight would kill one another in a duel. From that moment, Balin became known as the Knight of Two Swords. Then the Lady of the Lake, who gave the new sword to Arthur, arrived in Camelot. The lady told Arthur that the sword was called Excalibur, and it was time, for the king to give the gift he had promised her. She wanted the head of Balin, for killing her brother, or the head of Lady Lile, for causing her father's death. Arthur was shocked by this demand, and refused to do what the Lady of the Lake's wishes.

Balin angrily used his new sword and severed the head of the Lady of the Lake. The whole court was outraged by Balin's action. Arthur was angry with Balin, because he was in debt to the Lady of the Lake and she was under his protection so as long as she was underneath his roof. Balin immediately left Camelot. Balin set out on a quest hoping to win back Arthur's favour. Balin set out on a journey, but encountered an Irish knight set about avenging Arthur's dishonour by defeating Balin. Balin reluctantly fought and killed the Irish knight. A maiden arrived mourning over the death of her lover, killed herself with lover's sword. Balin was distressed over the whole ordeal. Balan arrived, and a little later King Mark of Cornwall arrived. Balan is Balin's brother. Mark refused to leave until he buried the unhappy couple. We find out that the knight was named Launceor and the maiden was called Lione. Merlin , disguised as a peasant, also met Balin and his brother.

Merlin foretold that Balin will delivered the Dolorous Stroke and years from now, two of the greatest knights in the world would fight one another over the graves of Launceor and Lione. (These two knights were Lancelot and Tristan). Death of King Lot King Lot thought Arthur had brought about the death of his youngest son, Mordred . However, Mordred was actually the son of Arthur and Morgawse , Arthur's half-sister, and the child was safe in the fosterage of Duke Nabur, father of Sagremor. See the previous article called Morgawse and the Questing Beast . Lot declared war upon Arthur. King Lot formed alliance with King Rion (Rience) and his brother Nero. Rion had invaded Logres, killing men and sacking castles and villages. Balin and Balan decided to kill Rion, hoping to win back Arthur's favour. Balin and his brother met Merlin , who was now disguised as a traveller or vagabond. Merlin knew of Balin's plan, and persuaded the hero to capture Rion instead of killing the king.

Merlin knew that Rion would visit a wife of the Duke of Vaux, during her husband's absence. Rion was secret lover to the Duke's wife. Rion had forty knights with them. Balin wounded and captured King Rion. Only twelve of Rion's forty guards survived. The brothers made them all prisoners. Though, Rion had become Arthur's prisoner, the king still have to fight against Rion's army including that of Rion's brother Nero, who had a larger army than his own. Merlin revealed Arthur that Lot would be fighting on the other side. Lot was determined to see Arthur's death, for sending his son (Mordred) to death. The battle was fought on the plain of Tarabel. Though, Arthur's army was outnumbered, he had many great knights fighting on his side. Knights such as Sir Kay and Hernil de Rivel. Arthur himself had killed twenty knights in battle. But no knight were greater than Balin. Lot was about to enter the battle. Merlin failed to persuade Lot to remain loyal to Arthur. Lot refused to believe anything that Merlin told him, even when Merlin offered to show that Mordred was alive and well, within two months.

So Merlin delayed Lot from joining the battle long enough for Arthur to defeat Rion's army. Balin had killed Nero. King Lot had also fought well. Lot confronted Arthur and killed the king's horse. Pellinor , Knight of the Questing Beast, came to Arthur's rescue. The men of Orkney were not defeated until Pellinor had struck their king down. Peace between Logres and Orkney were settled, after Orkney had surrendered. Arthur was greatly saddened by Lot's death. A great funeral was held in Lot's honour. Morgawse and her four sons attended the funeral. King Urien and his wife Morgan le Fay also attended the funeral. Morgan was pregnant. Gawain who was only eleven years old, swore to avenge his father upon Pellinor and Pellinor's family. Merlin foretold that the Quest would begin when the Knight with Two Swords delivered the Dolorous Stroke. Merlin also warned Arthur to safeguard the scabbard more than Excalibur. Though Arthur had suffered many wounds in this battle, he lost no blood. If Arthur were to lose the scabbard, he would never see it again.

It was around this time that Merlin had become infatuated with Morgan. Morgan sought Merlin when she learned of his power. Morgan persuaded the wizard to teach her his magic. In return, Morgan promised to return Merlin's love. Morgan learned everything from Merlin in a rather short time, because she was extremely intelligent and quick learner. During that time, Morgan had given birth to Yvain . Dolorous Stroke Balin met a stranger, a knight with strange quest with a maiden. Arthur had wanted to talk to this stranger, but the knight refused until Balin promised he would take up the knight's quest and offer him protection. As Balin and the stranger returned to Arthur's castle in Meliot, the knight was attacked by invisible foe. The stranger knight was impaled by a lance and died shortly after. The maiden was the knight's guide in the quest. Now, she would be Balin's companion and guide in the quest. They would meet again outside of the cemetery. Balin left Arthur on his quest to avenge the knight he had failed to protect. Balin met another knight whom he befriended.

Merlin met them in another disguise, revealing the identity of the invisible assassin was Garlon the Red, the brother of King Pellam (Parlan or Pellehan). Merlin insisted that Balin should give up the quest or else bring sorrow and misfortune to Logres. Balin stubbornly refused to give up on the quest to avenge the unnamed knight he had failed to protect. When Balin and his new companion entered the cemetery, the invisible knight struck again, mortally wounded his new friend. Balin encountered a monk and found out that Gawain would avenge his father upon Pellinor . Balin met the maiden, who was his guide. Their first adventure came when they were trapped in the same custom in the castle that Grail knights and Perceval's sister would encounter over 22 years later. The custom required that a maiden had to fill a basin full of blood, so to heal the lady of the castle of leprosy. Balin's companion failed to heal the lady, but she did not died. (Perceval's sister sacrificed her own life to heal the lady.

See Quest of the Holy Grail in the death of Perceval's sister.) After a few day of travel they reached the castle of King Pellam . Pellam was holding a feast on Sunday. Balin found out that Garlon the Red can become invisible at will, when he was armed. Balin pondered if he should attack Garlon when Garlon was unarmed but that would branded Balin as a coward or waited until Garlon was armed, making difficult for him when he can't see his opponent. As Balin thought of his dilemma Garlon noticed Balin was not eating the food, as a guest should. Garlon struck Balin's face with his gloves, for being rude. Balin answered by cutting off Garlon's head with swipe of his sword. Seeing Garlon fall, Pellam went to avenge his brother, shattering one of Balin's swords. Balin went from room to room to find another weapon. Balin entered one room where the Grail and the Bleeding Lance were kept. A voice warned him not to enter. Balin did not heed the voice since Pellam was pursuing closely behind Balin.

Despite hearing the voice, warning the hero not to touch the spear, Balin seized the lance and ran the weapon through both of Pellam's thighs. It was this strike that was called the "Dolorous Stroke". A voice was heard throughout the castle that a great enchantment would fall upon Logres. The Dolorous Stroke had not only wounded a king, but set off an earthquake and laying waste to the land. Pellam was seriously wounded and his wound would not heal until the Grail knight ( Galahad ) healed him twenty-two years later, at the end of the Grail quest. Many people were rendered unconscious, including Balin. Some of them died in terror of the voice. Among those who had died was Balin's guide, the maiden who had accompanied him in his quest. Merlin arrived two days later and found that the people outside of the castle were too frighten to enter the castle to see if anyone had survived. Merlin went into the castle and found Balin lying there unconscious for two days. Merlin brought Balin out of the castle. Merlin showed the devastation of the three kingdoms that Balin had caused with that one stroke of the lance.

Balin had been warned several times by Merlin and other people that this would happened. Balin had heedlessly sought glory and fame as a knight, only to bring sorrow to so many. Despite succeeding the quest to avenge the unnamed knight, Balin left the devastated kingdom; he was distressed that he had caused so much havoc and sorrow. (According to the Huath Merlin, Merlin rescued Balin from the ruin castle after Balin had delivered the Dolorous Stroke to the Fisher King. Balin was mortally wounded when the castle collapsed. When Balin witnessed the devastation he had caused he died repenting for what he had done.) My Brother, My Killer Balin arrived at a castle that has a custom, where a knight-errant entering their castle, he must joust with another knight-errant from the island tower. Though Balin did not like custom, he thought they would see him as a coward if he did not joust with the other knight. As he ready himself for the coming joust, the host offered a new and better shield than the worn shield he now carried. However, a girl arrived at the castle, carrying a message for Merlin .

The damsel told Balin that he would regret ever coming to this castle and accepting a shield that his opponent wouldn't be recognised. Balin had great foreboding of what will happen. His opponent emerged from the other tower, wearing red armour and shield, and mounted on white horse. Neither of them recognised the other knight. The two knights fought one another, long and hard. They only stopped fighting when both knights were mortally wounded. They were both horrified and grief-stricken when they revealed their identity to one another. As Merlin and the maiden, who had given the sword to Balin, had foretold, he would regret that he had ever kept the sword that he had won. Balan, his brother, was the red knight. Each has delivered a deathblow to the brother he loved. The only thing that Balin asked from the people of the castle and tower that would bury them together. They had both died by evening. Merlin arrived and attended the funeral of Balin and Balan. Merlin took Balin's sword and wrote on the pommel that only the best knight in the world ( Galahad again) could draw the sword from the stone. Merlin set the sword into the marble slab.

Merlin then made this stone float on water. The stone would float and moved around the world until it arrived in Camelot, 22 years later. Frequently Asked Questions about the Arthurian Legends | Robbins Library Digital Projects Robbins Library Digital Projects › Camelot Project › Frequently Asked Questions about the Arthurian Legends › Frequently Asked Questions about the Arthurian Legends Frequently Asked Questions about the Arthurian Legends by: Alan Lupack (Author) [The following are questions frequently asked of librarians who provide "chat" reference service in Rush Rhees Library at the University of Rochester. The answers have been provided by Alan Lupack (alupack@library.rochester.edu) .] Who was King Arthur and when/where did he live? Is there historical evidence of his existence? Traditionally called King Arthur, an early chronicler called Nennius refers to him as 'dux bellorum', a term designating a military leader rather than a king. Nennius also names Arthur as the victor in a series of twelve battles against the Saxons, which culminate in a decisive victory at Mount Badon. The early Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen depicts him as the leader of a group of semi-mythological warriors with super powers.

Welsh saints's lives sometimes portray him as an enemy of the church, who commandeers its treasures to support his wars. How much, if any, historicity can be assigned to Arthur is a matter of debate. Some have suggested that a person who lived earlier than or contemporary with the time usually associated with Arthur (the late 5th or early 6th century) performed deeds that became attached to a fictional 'Arthur'. Geoffrey Ashe, for example, has called attention to a figure referred to as 'Riothamus', a title meaning 'high king', who led an army to the continent and who, Ashe speculates, may have been associated with Arthur by Geoffrey of Monmouth (the author of a "history" of the kings of Britain, a work which introduces into the tradition many fictional elements that are now seen as essential parts of the story of Arthur). (Ashe puts forth this theory in The Discovery of King Arthur [1985].) Other scholars believe that the Arthurian legends are not based on any real person.

If Arthur or someone who inspired the legends of Arthur did exist, he would have been a warrior of the late fifth and/or early sixth centuries and not the sort of person often depicted in literature, a king living in a castle with knights in shining armor serving him. Who was Guinevere? Did King Arthur have other lovers? Guinevere is Arthur's wife and queen; according to the Vulgate Cycle and Malory, she is the daughter of Leodegrance of Carmelide. Though one of the Welsh Triads (Triad 56) speaks of Arthur's three great queens (all named Gwenhwyfar), later romance generally gives him only one wife named Guinevere. Geoffrey of Monmouth introduces the notion of Guinevere's infidelity (with Modred) while Arthur is fighting on the continent. In Chrétien's Lancelot, Guinevere becomes Lancelot's lover after he rescues her from Meleagant. Generally (though not always) in the romance tradition, Guinevere is portrayed as Lancelot's lover. In the Vulgate Cycle, the first meeting between Guinevere and Lancelot is arranged by Galehaut.

She is later accused of not being the true Guinevere by the illegitimate daughter of her father Leodagan and the wife of his seneschal. When Arthur falls in love with the False Guinevere and accepts her as his queen, Guinevere is protected by Lancelot and Galehaut until the truth is revealed. Malory's Guinevere is jealous and demanding but also a true lover. Her jealousy and anger drive Lancelot mad and lead her to say she wishes he were dead. Nevertheless, she remains true to him. She is accused several times of crimes-infidelity and the murder of Mador's relative-and must be saved by Lancelot, as she is once again when their love is discovered and she is sentenced to be burned at the stake. When Mordred rebels against Arthur and attempts to marry her, she flees first to the Tower of London and then to the nunnery at Amesbury, where she becomes abbess. Lancelot visits her there after the death of Arthur, but she asks him to leave and never to return and refuses even to give him a final kiss.

She dies a holy death, of which Lancelot learns in a vision that instructs him to have her buried next to Arthur. While Malory is understanding of the true love of Guinevere, Tennyson makes her an example of an unfaithful wife. Arthur, before whom she grovels with guilt when he visits her in the nunnery, says that she has "spoilt the purpose of my life." Malory also writes that Arthur had an affair with Lyonors, the daughter of Earl Sanam. Lyonors bears him a son named Borre, who later becomes a knight of the Round Table. Who was Merlin and what is his significance to King Arthur? Merlin plays many roles in Arthurian literature, including bard, prophet, magician, advisor, and warrior. Though usually a figure who supports Arthur and his vision of Camelot, Merlin is, because of the stories in which he is said to be the son of a devil, sometimes presented as a villain. Celtic tradition contains a number of related figures-the Welsh Myrddin, the Scottish Lailoken, and the Irish Suibhne-who have characteristics similar to those of Merlin. These characters all go mad and become wild men of the woods.

Myrddin, who appears in the Welsh poems 'Yr Afallennau' ('The Apple Tree Stanzas') and 'Yr Oianau' ('The Little Pig Stanzas'), is driven mad because of the death of his lord Gwenddolau at the hands of Rhydderch in the Battle of Arfderydd (c. 575). After the battle, Merlin lives in exile in the forest, where he utters prophecies. Geoffrey of Monmouth combines this historical figure, who lived at a time later than that in which a historical Arthur might have lived, with the figure of the youth Ambrosius Aurelianus from Nennius (Geoffrey says that Merlin's second name was Ambrosius); in so doing, he virtually creates the now-traditional Merlin. Geoffrey's Merlin, who is fathered by an incubus, explains why Vortigern's tower will not stand and utters a long series of prophecies. He then serves both Aurelius and Uther. After transporting the Giant's Dance from Ireland to Britain and setting it up as Stonehenge, he assists Uther in satisfying his lust for Ygerna.

In Geoffrey's account, Merlin does not serve as an advisor to Arthur; but later writers expand his role to include helping Arthur become king and establish his authority. In the works of Robert de Boron and in the Vulgate Cycle, Merlin's birth is engineered by the devils in hell. They hope to bring into the world an anti-Christ who will undo the good (or, as they see it, the harm) done by Christ in redeeming mankind. Merlin's mother is impregnated by an incubus; but with the advice of her confessor Blaise she baptizes her son; and he becomes a force for good, not evil. Since he is the son of a devil, he is endowed with the knowledge of all things past, and God bestows on him the gift of knowing the future. He is also instrumental in establishing Arthur's realm and the Round Table, and he serves as an adviser to Athur. Merlin's service to Arthur ends when he is infatuated with Niniane (also called Vivien and Nyneve) and allows her to seal him up with a charm that he himself has taught her. Perhaps the most influential modern recasting of Merlin is in T. H.

White's The Once and Future King (1958). White's Merlin, who is both a comic and a philosophic figure, is a tutor who encourages Arthur to think for himself and who is gratified when Arthur arrives at the notion that might should be used for right. White's Merlin knows the future because he lives backwards in time. Who are Bedivere? Gawain? Mordred? What is their relationship to King Arthur? Bedivere: Bedivere and Kay (Bedwyr and Cai in Welsh sources) are among the warriors earliest associated with Arthur. The author of Culhwch and Olwen (ca. 1100) says of Bedwyr that he never shrank from any enterprise on which Cai was bound. Wace says that Bedivere and Kay are Arthur's two most loyal subjects. In the late fourteenth-century Alliterative Morte Arthure and other works that tell the story of the Giant of St. Michael's Mount, Kay and Bedivere accompany Arthur as he sets out to confront the giant.

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Arthur gives Bedevere the province of Normandy for his service in the war in Gaul; later, Bedevere is slain in Arthur's continental war against Lucius. In Malory's Morte d'Arthur, Bedivere survives the continental wars and is with Arthur at the end of his final battle. Arthur orders him to return Excalibur to the lake. Tennyson adds to Malory's account a depiction of Bedivere watching the barge bearing Arthur as it grows smaller and smaller and finally disappears. In Rosemary Sutcliff's Sword at Sunset and in Mary Stewart's The Wicked Day, Bedwyr takes on the role, usually assigned to Lancelot, of lover of Arthur's queen. Gawain: Gawain is Arthur's nephew, and in much Arthurian literature he is presented as the best of Arthur's knights. In a number of sources, his strength is said to increase until noon, at which point it begins to wane. According to the French Mort Artu (Death of Arthur), his strength increases around noon because the priest who baptized him prayed that his strength would increase at noon, the hour he was baptized.

Malory says that a holy man gave Gawain the gift of increasing strength from undern (9 a. m.) until noon every day of the year. In Geoffrey of Monmouth's history, Gawain is one of Arthur's most valorous knights in his continental wars, and he dies in the struggle against Modred when Arthur returns to Britain. The author of The Rise of Gawain (twelfth century) tells of Gawain's being brought to Rome by Viamundus, the fisherman who stole the boy from the merchants to whom Anna, his mother, had entrusted him because he was born before she was married to Loth (Lot). There, he is knighted by and serves the Emperor. Gawain is said by Chrétien in his Perceval (1180s) to be the most courteous knight in the world. In this work, and in numerous others by various authors, Gawain is contrasted to Kay, whose boorishness is a foil to Gawain's courtliness. In several Dutch romances, Gawain is called the Father of Adventure, and he has great skill in healing as well as in fighting and diplomacy.

In many of the French romances of the twelfth through the fourteenth centuries, Gawain is the most important hero; but Lancelot eventually replaces him in this role. In the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle, Gawain is presented as the second-best worldly knight after Lancelot. He refuses to join in Agravain's accusation against Lancelot and Guinevere; later, out of grief for his brothers-particularly his favorite Gaheriet (Gareth)-who are slain in the rescue of the queen, he insists on pursuing and fighting with Lancelot. Although Lancelot refuses to slay him when he has the opportunity, Gawain ultimately dies from a head wound received in their fight. Nevertheless, before his death Gawain realizes that Lancelot was the best and most generous knight, wishes he could ask his forgiveness before his death, and advises Arthur to ask him for help. In Malory's Morte d'Arthur, Gawain is at times brave and noble and at times vengeful and treacherous. He keeps alive the feud between the house of Lot and the house of Pellinore by treacherously killing Pellinore and then Lamorak.

He is also unforgiving when Lancelot accidentally kills Gareth, and he refuses to allow Arthur to make peace with him. He does, however, try to dissuade Mordred and Agravain from accusing Lancelot; and he finally realizes that Lancelot is noble and Mordred wicked. Mordred: The Annales Cambriae (Welsh Annals) mentions Medraut as a participant in the battle of Camlann but does not make clear whether he is an enemy or an ally of Arthur. Geoffrey of Monmouth introduces the notion of Mordred's usurpation of the throne and his adulterous relationship with Guinevere while Arthur is fighting his continental wars. Geoffrey names Mordred as one of two sons of Lot and Anna (the other being Gawain). Mordred in turn has two sons who survive him but are killed by Constantine, Arthur's successor. In the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle, Mordred is the son of Arthur by his half-sister, who is Lot's wife.

Although, in the Vulgate Mort Artu, it is Agravain who accuses Lancelot and Guinevere of adultery and leads the knights who trap them in the queen's chamber, Mordred betrays Arthur's trust when he is left in charge of the kingdom and the queen by forging a letter said to be from a dying Arthur declaring Mordred king and urging him to marry Guinevere. In the final battle of Salisbury Plain, Arthur kills Mordred but is fatally wounded by him. Mordred leaves behind two sons, the elder called Melehan and the younger unnamed. Bors kills Melehan, who has slain Lionel; and Lancelot kills the younger son. In Malory's Morte d'Arthur, Mordred is the illegitimate son of Arthur and Morgause. When Arthur, who is unaware that she is related to him when they sleep together, learns that he has had a child by his half-sister, he attempts to kill Mordred by condemning all the children born on May Day to be set adrift on the sea.

But his son survives when the ship he is in breaks up and he is cast up on the shore and found by a good man, who raises him until he is fourteen. Even before Mordred accuses Lancelot and Guinevere and plans to trap them, his villainy is clear. When Gawain and his brothers treacherously attack and slay Lamorak, it is Mordred who gives him a fatal wound in the back. While Arthur is besieging Lancelot's castle in France, Mordred forges letters saying that Arthur is dead, claims the throne, and intends to marry Guinevere. In the final battle, Arthur gives Mordred a fatal wound; but Mordred thrusts himself up the length of Arthur's spear so he can strike his father. What is the Round Table? The twelfth-century chronicler Wace first introduces the notion of the Round Table, which he says Arthur had made so that all of the noble barons whom he attracted to his court would be equally placed and served and none could boast that he had a higher position at the table than the others. Layamon expands on this notion, describing a riot at which many nobles vie for place and precedence at Arthur's table.

A skilled craftsman then offers to make Arthur a table that will seat more than sixteen hundred and at which high and low will be on an equal footing because the table is round. According to the prose rendition of Robert de Boron's Merlin and the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle, Uther Pendragon, instructed by Merlin, established the Round Table to symbolize the table of the Last Supper and the Grail Table established by Joseph of Arimathea at the command of the Holy Spirit. Uther gives the Round Table to Guinevere's father Leodegan, who in turn gives it to Arthur when he weds Guinevere. The number of seats at the Round Table varies in different sources, sometimes being said to seat twelve knights and the king, sometimes as many as 150. The Round Table has come to stand not only for the physical object at which Arthur and his knights sat but also for the order of knighthood and the code to which the knights committed themselves. The symbolic nature of the Round Table survives even into the youth groups of the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century.

The founders of one of those clubs, the Knights of King Arthur, saw the roundness of Arthur's table and the equality it implied as representing 'democracy under leadership' and thus an ideal structure for a club for boys. What do we know about the sword Excalibur? Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, and Layamon all observe that Arthur's sword Caliburn was forged on the Isle of Avalon. In Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur, Excalibur is the name given to the sword Arthur receives from the Lady of the Lake and entrusts to Bedivere to return to the water after his final battle. Malory, following his French source, explains the name Excalibur as meaning 'Kutte [Cut] Steele'. (There is only one place in the Morte where the sword drawn from the stone is referred to as Excalibur: in his battle with the kings who will not accept him, Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, on Merlin's advice, only when he is losing the battle.

When he draws 'his swerd Excalibur', it gives the light of thirty torches and helps him to put his enemies to flight.) When this sword from the stone breaks in two as Arthur fights Pellinore, Merlin saves Arthur by casting an enchantment over Pellinore and then takes the king to receive another sword, Excalibur, from the Lady of the Lake. Merlin tells Arthur that Excalibur's scabbard is even more valuable than the sword itself because while he wears it he will not lose any blood or be severely wounded. Morgan le Fay, to whom Arthur has entrusted the care of Excalibur, gives the sword to her lover Accolon to use against Arthur. Provided with a counterfeit Excalibur, Arthur is saved by Nyneve (a character sometimes called Vivien, Niniane, or Nimue). Morgan then steals the scabbard and throws it into a lake so it can no longer protect Arthur. Excalibur must be returned to the water at the end of Arthur's life, a task assigned to Bedivere in Malory's account-but to others in different medieval versions of Arthur's story. What was the Holy Grail?

The Holy Grail is generally considered to be the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper and the vessel used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch his blood as he hung on the cross. This significance, however, was introduced into the Arthurian legends by Robert de Boron in his verse romance Joseph d'Arimathie (sometimes also called Le Roman de l'Estoire dou Graal), which was probably written in the last decade of the twelfth century or the first few years of the thirteenth. In earlier sources as well as in some later ones, the Grail is sometimes something quite different. The term 'grail' comes from the Latin gradale, which means a dish brought to the table during various stages (Latin 'gradus') or courses of a meal. In Chrétien de Troyes and other early writers, the term 'grail' suggests such a plate. Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival (first decade of the thirteenth century) presents the Grail as a stone which provides sustenance and prevents anyone who beholds it from dying within that week.

In medieval romance, the Grail was said to have been brought to Glastonbury in Britain by Joseph of Arimathea and his followers. In the time of Arthur, the quest for the Grail was the highest spiritual pursuit. For Chrétien, author of Perceval, and his continuators, Perceval is the knight who must achieve the Grail. For some other French authors, as for Malory, Galahad is the chief Grail knight, though others (Perceval and Bors in Malory's Morte d'Arthur) also achieve the quest. Where was Camelot? Camelot is an imaginary place and thus it is perhaps pointless to speak of its location. In literary sources, it is usually situated in the south of England. Some have speculated that if Arthur actually existed he would have needed a base of operations. John Leland identified Camelot with Cadbury Castle, a hill fort in Somerset.

Excavations carried out at the site in 1966-1970 confirmed that this large hill fort (with 1200 yards of perimeter surrounding an eighteen-acre enclosure and rising about 250 feet above the surrounding countryside) was refortified in the Arthurian era and was occupied by a powerful leader and his followers. In many medieval texts Arthur holds court at Caerleon or some other city. Camelot is first mentioned in the twelfth century in Chrétien de Troyes's Lancelot. In the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle, Camelot is said to have been converted by the son of Joseph of Arimathea, Josephus, who had built there the Church of St. Stephen, in which some texts say Arthur and Guinevere were married. Camelot becomes the principal city of Arthur's realm and remains so in many, though not all, later texts. In his Le Morte d'Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory identifies Camelot as Winchester. What modern allusions are there to Camelot?

The image most modern readers have of Camelot coincides with Tennyson's description of it in "The Lady of Shalott" as "many-tower'd Camelot." More recently, largely through the influence of T. H. White, Camelot has come to be associated with the values that Arthur and his realm are believed to have represented (White's 'Might for Right'). Because of John F. Kennedy's fondness for the play Camelot and an interest in the legends that originated with his childhood reading of a version of Malory, John F. Kennedy's his presidency has been referred to as 'Camelot'. Actually, the identification between Kennedy and Camelot first occurred soon after Kennedy's death, when Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy urged her friend, reporter and historian Theodore H. White, to label her late husband's historical myth in specifically Arthurian terms. Other historians also associated Kennedy's presidency, particularly some of its more idealistic programs, with the legend of Arthur. The moral overtones of Camelot are reflected in other areas as well, but sometimes 'Camelot' is used only to represent an ideal place.

share this page Excalibur - Arthur & Uryens - YouTube Excalibur - Arthur & Uryens Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jan 29, 2010 King Arthur is a legendary British leader who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early sixth century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians. The sparse historical background of Arthur is gleaned from various sources, including the Annales Cambriae, the Historia Brittonum, and the writings of Gildas. Arthur's name also occurs in early poetic sources such as Y Gododdin. The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain).

Some Welsh and Breton tales and poems relating the story of Arthur date from earlier than this work; in these works, Arthur appears either as a great warrior defending Britain from human and supernatural enemies or as a magical figure of folklore, sometimes associated with the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn. How much of Geoffrey's Historia (completed in 1138) was adapted from such earlier sources, rather than invented by Geoffrey himself, is unknown. Although the themes, events and characters of the Arthurian legend varied widely from text to text, and there is no one canonical version, Geoffrey's version of events often served as the starting point for later stories. Geoffrey depicted Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established an empire over Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Gaul. Many elements and incidents that are now an integral part of the Arthurian story appear in Geoffrey's Historia, including Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, the wizard Merlin, Arthur's wife Guinevere, the sword Excalibur, Arthur's birth at Tintagel, his final battle against Mordred at Camlann and final rest in Avalon.

The 12th-century French writer Chrétien de Troyes, who added Lancelot and the Holy Grail to the story, began the genre of Arthurian romance that became a significant strand of medieval literature. In these French stories, the narrative focus often shifts from King Arthur himself to other characters, such as various Knights of the Round Table. Arthurian literature thrived during the Middle Ages but waned in the centuries that followed until it experienced a major resurgence in the 19th century. In the 21st century, the legend lives on, not only in literature but also in adaptations for theatre, film, television, comics and other media. Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone (the proof of Arthur's lineage) are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was associated with the Arthurian legend very early. In Welsh, the sword is called Caledfwlch. In Arthurian romance, a number of explanations are given for Arthur's possession of Excalibur.

In Robert de Boron's Merlin, Arthur obtained the throne by pulling a sword from a stone. In this account, the act could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon. This sword is thought by many to be the famous Excalibur, and its identity is made explicit in the later so-called Vulgate Merlin Continuation, part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle.[7] However, in what is sometimes called the Post-Vulgate Merlin, Excalibur was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake sometime after he began to reign. She calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel." In the Vulgate Mort Artu, Arthur orders Girflet to throw the sword into the enchanted lake. After two failed attempts he finally complies with the wounded king's request and a hand emerges from the lake to catch it, a tale which becomes attached to Bedivere instead in Malory and the English tradition. Malory records both versions of the legend in his Le Morte d'Arthur, and confusingly calls both swords Excalibur.

The film Excalibur attempts to rectify this by having only one sword, which Arthur draws from the stone and later breaks; the Lady of the Lake then repairs it. Category

Question: In King Arthur’s ‘Camelot’, what is Excalibur?
Answer: A sword